What's Covered · Eligibility & access
Can You Get the NDIS Over 65?
The NDIS age rule explained: apply before turning sixty-five, choices for participants who reach that age, and the aged care funding that takes over.
The short answer
Here the rules are unusually clear: you must be younger than sixty-five on the day you apply. Past that point, aged care programs carry the equipment funding.
Age is one of the few bright lines in the scheme. The published requirement is to be younger than sixty-five on the day the application is made. People past that age are directed to aged care supports instead - and existing participants who reach it get a choice about staying.
Nothing on this page decides or predicts an access outcome. It explains the published criteria so you know what the NDIA looks at.
The published age rules
An application must be made before turning sixty-five - there is no exception pathway for later applications. Alongside age, the applicant must meet the residence rules: an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Special Category visa holder who lives in Australia and spends most of their time here.
Already a participant when you turn sixty-five? You can choose to stay on the NDIS or move to aged care supports, but not run both at once. There is one hard exception: a participant who moves into residential aged care after turning sixty-five must leave the scheme.
The aged care route for equipment and home changes
The nearest equivalent on the aged care side is the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme inside Support at Home. Older people are assessed for it as part of an aged care assessment, and an assessor can approve an assistive technology tier, a home modifications tier, or both.
Support at Home is a separate program with its own rules and its own application process - NDIS rules do not apply to it.
Eligibility for Support at Home is decided by the program itself. The official program pages have the current criteria and application forms.
| Tier | Funding amount per year |
|---|---|
| low | under $500.00 |
| medium | up to $2,000.00 |
| high | up to $15,000.00 |
Source: Department of Health, AT-HM scheme. High-tier assistive technology can exceed the amount shown where an assessment requires it, via a request-form process.
Before you act on this
The NDIA publishes its access criteria, and the NDIA alone decides who becomes a participant. The criteria and application process are on the official NDIS website.
Questions people ask
Can a person over sixty-five apply for the NDIS?
No. The published age requirement is to be younger than sixty-five on the day of application, and people past that age who are not already participants are directed to aged care supports instead. The aged care system carries its own equipment and home modification funding.
What happens when an NDIS participant turns sixty-five?
Existing participants get a choice: stay on the NDIS or move to aged care supports, though never both at once. The one hard rule is that a participant who moves into residential aged care after turning sixty-five must leave the scheme at that point.
What replaces NDIS equipment funding after sixty-five?
The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme inside Support at Home is the closest equivalent. It funds equipment and home modifications in tiers, approved through an aged care assessment. It is a separate program with its own rules, so NDIS thresholds and processes do not carry across.
Is Support at Home part of the NDIS?
No. Support at Home is an aged care program run under different legislation, with its own assessment process, funding tiers, and product lists. The official Department of Health pages hold the current criteria, and eligibility decisions belong to that program rather than the NDIA.
Does the age rule affect residency requirements?
The two requirements sit side by side. An applicant must be younger than sixty-five on application day and must also be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Special Category visa holder living mainly in Australia. Both are assessed as part of the same access decision.
Official sources
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